Savior
by Writing4Winchester
Summary: After having visions of the Winchester brothers, Elena learns that her role in their lives is much more important than she thought. Supernatural season 9. Vampire Diaries season 1. Rated M for language, violence, sexual situations
1. New Plans

OoOoO

"You're just going to leave him in there?" Kevin asked.

Dean stared at him and then looked over to Sam. Sam shrugged. Dean watched his brother wearily. Ezekiel healing Sam's body was the only option Dean had had, but it still wasn't sitting right with him. He just kept telling himself it was keeping Sam alive.

"He'll break soon enough." Dean moved to find a bottle of whiskey. They had asked Crowley for information on demons and who they were possessing. They had to have something to go on. But, of course, Crowley refused. Sam and Dean decided the silence would be enough to break him.

"Now what?" Kevin looked to the brothers.

Just then Dean's phone rang, "Hello?"

"Dean."

He let out a sigh of relief, "Cas, you okay?"

"I am fine. How is Sam?"

"Everything is okay on our end. We have Crowley locked up." Dean explained.

"I have a message for you." Castiel spoke solemnly.

"What's going on? A message from who?" Dean asked eagerly.

"God I believe." Cas said.

"Not this again." Dean rubbed his eyes.

"Dean there is someone who can help you and Sam. She is your savior." Castiel sounded very convinced that all this was true; while Dean was still trying to believe that God was contacting Castiel.

"C'mon Cas you don't believe that." Dean muttered.

"Have faith Dean."

"Yeah well my faith is wearing a little thin. I apologize." Dean said sarcastically.

"She can heal Sam." Castiel said.

Dean looked to his brother, "Sam is fine. He's walking and talking just like normal."

"This way is better."

Dean thought of the fallen angels words. He looked at his brother, who was now chatting with Kevin. He looked okay, but Dean knew if Cas was saying this, there must be some truth to it. With Crowley not talking and no leads, what was there to lose?

"Where is my so called savior?"

Sam looked up, his brow furrowed.

"A town called Mystic Falls." Castiel said.

OoOoOo

"Anything? Come on Bonnie." Elena asked urgently. For the last few weeks she had been plagued with visions and dreams of men she had never met doing thing she hadn't known existed. Trying to seal off hell and prophets and angels, everything seemed to be too much.

However, Elena could not believe that what she was seeing was false. With finding out about Stefan's vampirism and Bonnie's powers, Elena knew there was more out there. And she felt drawn to the men. She pieced together that they were brothers guided by an angel. She knew it sounded ridiculous and she would never bring herself to say any of it out loud.

She turned to Bonnie as a last ditch effort to see if she could pick anything. So far it was looking rather bleak. "No Elena. Are you sure you aren't dreaming?" Bonnie looked at her friend, searching her face for answers.

"During the day, when I'm wide awake? I don't think so." Elena muttered.

"Did you ask Stefan?" Bonnie was clearly frustrated.

"No. And don't say anything to him." Their relationship was so new; Elena did not want to bring her hallucinations into the mix.

Elena stood up and shrugged. "Look don't worry about it. I haven't seen or heard anything since two nights ago. Maybe it was temporary insanity." Elena tried to explain it away, even though she knew it was much more.

Bonnie blew out the candles and started to put everything away. Elena watched her friend, "Thank you for trying. I really appreciate it."

Bonnie nodded and gave Elena a quick hug; "I'll see you tomorrow."

Elena walked Bonnie to the door and quickly closed it behind her. What was she supposed to do? Something in her felt off, wrong. She knew she was supposed to be doing something more. Maybe she was supposed to pursue whatever she was seeing? Help them? That was what everything in her being told her. They needed her. But who were they? And most importantly where were they?

"Is Bonnie still here?" Elena's Aunt Jenna came down the stairs.

"No she just left. I think I'm going to go to the Grill." Elena looked up at her Aunt.

"Is everything alright? You've been a little strange lately."

Elena hated to worry her. "Yes, I'm just busy with the squad and classes."

"How are things with Stefan?"

"Fine. I'm going, so I'll see you tonight?" Elena leaned up and kissed her aunt on the cheek.

Elena decided to walk instead of drive. She needed to clear her head. It was bizarre to her how everything appeared to be normal, but she knew that it was all a charade. If she could handle learning about witches and vampires, why was this anything different?

Elena took a turn down an alleyway, the faster way to the Grill. Her heart jumped when she was grabbed from behind. Her hands locked over whoevers had taken a hold of her. A parade of images flew into her mind. It was the brothers. She had seen their whole life in mere seconds. Every happy moment, every tear, each heartbreak. For a brief moment Elena was so overwhelmed she felt like she couldn't breathe.

"Stop moving. I'm not here to hurt you." A gruff voice halted her actions.

"Dean?" She whispered. She had no idea where the name came from. It was as if someone had just whispered it into her thoughts. She was released from his grasp.

Elena quickly turned around and stared at him. He was just as she had seen him in her thoughts. Dean was handsome and scary at the same time. He was a man who had been through hell and back, literally from what Elena had just seen. The things he had experienced. It was unreal. It appeared that he had no idea that Elena had just seen his whole life unfold.

Dean ignored her and looked back at Sam. "Come on, she's a kid. She can't save us." Dean bit out angrily, feeling like they had wasted the last two days driving to Mystic Falls.

"Dean. Castiel wouldn't send us out here for nothing. She has to be useful." Sam said. Exhaustion was starting to hit him.

Elena stared at them both, shocked to see them in person and in her hometown. She was not afraid though. In fact, when she thought about it, she seemed oddly at ease.

"I'm not a kid." Elena managed to say.

Dean stared at her and raised his eyebrow, "How old are you?"

"Seventeen." Elena told him, maintaining eye contact. Her birthday was just last week. In this moment, it seemed like it was so long ago. Dean rolled his eyes. Seventeen? No way this was going to work.

Dean looked her up and down and then scowled. "You know who we are?" Dean asked pointing to himself and Sam.

She nodded, "Dean and Sam Winchester."

"What else do you know?" Dean asked.

"Sam didn't complete the third trial. Angels have fallen. So Castiel must be human now. That's all." Elena hesitantly told them. It felt bizarre to say aloud. She decided it was best to keep quiet about seeing Dean's entire life. Perhaps, she would tell one day.

"Do you know what you are?" Sam stepped forward.

Elena shrugged, "I just had these visions of you guys and here you are."

"You need to come with us." Dean said right away. Elena could see he was in no mood to argue.

"Leave with you? I can't just pick everything up and go with you. I don't even know you." Elena gave the appropriate response. Yet, part of her was telling her to go. Stop fighting and go.

"Look my brother needs help and apparently you're the one who can do that. So when I say we're leaving, we're leaving." Dean barked at her.

"Dean. Calm down," Sam paused, "Elena it would be much appreciated if you would go home and pack some belongings. We have quite the drive to get back."

"Yeah a two day drive." Dean could not get his anger under control. He was tired of depending on others. He was tired of these situations. He was so ready to give up, but he knew that was not an option.

"No. I can't." Elena said once more.

"Elena, I know you don't understand right now, but we'll try and explain everything to you." Sam tried to ease her into subduing.

"My friends are here and family. Not to mention I have school and the team needs me. I have a life here." Elena had no idea why she was arguing. It was like her mouth just kept going, even though she knew she was going to go with the brothers.

"Here's how it's going to go. We are going to drive you home. You will pack some bags. Then we are leaving." Dean laid it out plain and simple. If she was going to be of such a help to them, there was no more room for arguing.

Elena felt a pull towards him and she wondered if he felt it too. She could not explain it. She felt like she knew him better than anyone else, but they had only just met.

Sam put his hand to Elena's shoulder, "Trust me when I say, I know this is going to be difficult. We will do what we can to protect your loved ones. It is best for them if you leave. I've seen my whole family torn apart, our friends too. Trust me, it is not something you want."

At the thought of harm coming to her family Elena tensed. She would not be able to live with herself if anything happened to Jeremy or Jenna. Dean stared at her as she came to terms with what she had to do. If he had not been so worked up he would have noticed how beautiful she was, how innocent she appeared to be.

"How am I supposed to help you?" Elena looked to both of them for guidance.

Sam gently smiled, "We'll figure it out. Together." Sam had a much more gentle approach than Dean, but Elena knew that.

Dean straightened.

Elena nodded.

"This is crap." Dean said as he turned and walked back to the Impala. A seventeen-year-old girl who had never even been exposed to their hunter culture was supposed to help them? Dean saved girls like her all the time it seemed. She was useless and was more of a hindrance in his eyes. Though part of him felt some ease due to her presence. Her deep brown eyes seemed to penetrate his and bring him an inexplicable comfort.

Elena took a breath. "Okay. I don't want anyone to get hurt." She shrugged. She did not know whether she was making the wrong decision, but she felt as if she had no other choice.

Dean watched as Elena moved to the backseat of the Impala. Sam sat up front, beside Dean. They drove in complete silence except for Elena giving directions to her home. They were each consumed in their thoughts. Dean was torn about what he was supposed to do with Elena and worry for Sam. Elena was just trying to process what was happening.

"My Aunt Jenna is not going to let me just leave. Things don't work like that." Elena said to Dean as they pulled up in front of the house.

Dean rolled his eyes, "We can explain to her what is happening, but there's a small chance she will let you go anyway."

Elena exhaled roughly, "Well come on in."

They walked up to Elena's longtime home.

"Come on." Elena murmured as they walked upstairs.

Dean looked around the house trying to get a feel of who Elena was. The house was typical, nothing too special. Her bedroom was a different story. After finally having his own bedroom, Dean understood how a simple room could become a place of solace. In that moment he wanted nothing to be back in the bunker in his room.

Elena's room was filled with pictures of her and her friends. In some pictures she was in her cheerleading uniform, in others she was casually dressed. There was a picture of her and her family that Dean felt the urge to take, but didn't. He subtly watched Elena pack up her life into a few duffel bags.

"You know the Salvatore brothers?" Sam asked Elena.

"Yes." She was too busy stuffing clothes into her bag to really focus on the question.

"They are vampires." Sam said bluntly. Sam had read in their father's journal about a run in with the brothers. He had let them live, but he never knew why.

Dean flashed his eyes to his so-called savior. "Yes they are." She made a mental note to call Stefan whenever they got to where they were going. It was a horrible way break the news of her departure, but it was the best she could do. She knew she would be back to Mystic Falls one day.

"You hang around with vampires. That's just awesome." Dean said sarcastically. It kept getting better.

She threw her hands down, exasperated. "Listen Dean, I have no idea what is happening right now. And I am doing my best to just go along with it because I want to help you and Sam. So can you just knock it off for five minutes? Please?" Elena looked at him with pleading eyes. Sam eyed his brother.

Dean felt a pang of guilt for jumping on her once again. Sam watched the exchange closely, noting the shift in Dean's emotions. Before Dean could say anything else, Jenna walked into the room.

"What's going on?" She asked seeing Elena's bags.

Elena rubbed the back of her neck, "Jenna, I have to leave. I know this makes absolutely no sense to you right now. But I'm protecting you. Please trust me."

"Leave? Where are you going? And who are these men?" She eyed both of them.

"They're my friends. Please don't make this any harder than it is." Elena was doing her best to keep her emotions in check. She could see the fear and sadness creeping onto Jenna's face. And she knew she was the reason for it.

"Elena, I'm supposed to take care of you. I'm not letting you go anywhere." Jenna was usually very lenient, but not on this. She had a duty to watch and take care of Elena and Jeremy and she was going to follow through on it.

Just then Sam's demeanor changed. He stiffened and walked over to Jenna and touched two fingers to her forehead. Elena gasped and ran over to her aunt. "What are you doing?" Elena yelled.

Ezekiel turned to face Elena, "You are important to the Winchesters. You must come with us."

Dean stepped towards the angel, "Alright, alright," he turned to face Elena, "Sam was hurt, and he almost died. Look, he doesn't know that there's an angel inside of him. Your aunt is going to be fine, ok? Just, you can't say anything to Sam." Dean was trying to diffuse the situation.

Elena took a breath and nodded, "Okay, but can you at least move her to my bed?"

Ezekiel picked Jenna up effortlessly and moved her. When he turned back to face them, Sam looked around, "What happened?"

"She fainted." Dean effortlessly lied. Sam looked confused, but Elena just shrugged.

"Let's get moving." Dean motioned for everyone to leave. Dean stood in Elena's bedroom a moment longer to assess everything. Jenna was now sitting on the bed a second away from crying. He hoped this was the right decision.

"I'm going to sleep in the back." Sam muttered as soon as Dean made it out to the Impala.

"Ok. You should probably get some rest." Elena attempted to be of help to her new cohort. Dean gave her a grateful look. He wondered if Sam's tiredness was from Ezekiel.

Sam nodded and gave her a quick smile as they loaded into the car.

OoOoOo

Ten hours into the car ride and Sam was still asleep. Dean had ACDC playing at a soft volume, while Elena just looked out the window. She felt oddly comfortable, despite how bizarre the situation was.

"She'll forgive you. You are doing what's best." Dean broke the silence. He wanted to make her feel better and he could not explain it. He had been in this lifestyle is whole life and he met a lot of people. And with that, he had become attached to a select few and most of them were gone now. But Elena was different. There was a pull towards her that he could not explain. He knew absolutely nothing about her but it did not feel that way.

Elena glanced at him.

"Are you saying that because I'm going to help you or because you mean it?" Elena asked pointedly.

Dean paused, "I guess both."

Elena smiled softly at his honesty.

"You haven't asked a lot of questions. Most seventeen year olds wouldn't be so compliant, especially when two strangers show up. Why is that?" Dean knew something was off the second she agreed so easily.

Elena thought of all she had seen. She had seen each brother die, as well as their mother, father, and friends. She had seen the hunts and the killing. Every life the brothers had touched, she had the honor of watching. She knew they weren't evil or going to hurt her. But how could she explain that to Dean without telling him everything?

"I trust you." It was not a total lie.

Dean shook his head, "Do you have any idea what you got yourself into?"

"Let's face it Dean, if I would have fought you, you would have gotten me to go with you one way or another."

"You're right about that one."

Elena cleared her throat, "You don't think I can help you, either of you."

Dean looked at the girl beside him. She was something else, he had gathered that much.

"Can you blame me? No offense Elena, but you just got thrust into a world you know nothing about. You don't know the half of what's out there and you don't have a clue on how to defend yourself." Dean told her.

She shook her head.

While she was knowledgeable about the demons and monsters that roamed the earth, she was unwise when it came to how to defend herself. She had never been in a fight, never shot a gun. She was an easy target. And that made her a liability.

"Teach me." She said simply.

Dean laughed and then realized she was being serious.

"You want to learn? You couldn't handle it." Dean had become the shell of a man he was once. His number one was Sam. That was what he cared about. This innocent girl did not deserve this life and he did not want to be the one to cast her into it.

"Try me."

"Well aside from the vampires and angels you already know about, there's demons, werewolves, ghosts, vengeful spirits, witches. Anything from your nightmares probably exists." He was expecting her to laugh or grimace, but she seemed unaffected.

"Okay. So after we get the Sam situation figured out, you'll help me? If it's my job to save you guys or whatever I'm here for, maybe I should know how to save myself first." Elena made a good point.

Dean thought for a second. Whoever she was, she was a mystery to him.

"If that's what you want." Dean stared straight ahead. He felt like he was just going to tarnish something so pure by teaching her everything he knew. But she had a point. If she was going to be part of their group, she had to know. And if she wasn't scared or disbelieving at this point, he had no clue what would faze her.

"It is." Elena told him.

Dean glanced in his rearview mirror back at Sam. He hoped that whatever Elena was here for, it was to help him. He wanted Sam back as normal.

She looked out the window and let sleep take her. Thoughts of her past life slowly slipped away from her as she geared up for what was to come.

OoOoOo

Dean and Sam took turns driving for the two-day trip. Elena slept a lot and explained to her friends and family via text why she had to leave. The drive was pretty quiet, even though it felt like there was so much to say

"Elena, wake up. We're here." Dean whispered as he gently shook her awake. Her eyes fluttered open. In a sleepy haze she smiled up at Dean as he helped her out of the car.

Her muscles felt tense as she stretched out. She could not believe she slept so late. Sam had grabbed her bags and was already headed inside the compound. Darkness had fallen, but Elena had no idea what time it was.

She followed Dean inside. Her eyes searched the bunker, fixated on what she was seeing. It was exactly how she had seen it in her visions, but to see it in real life was something completely different.

Kevin was sitting, but stood as soon as everyone came in. "Any word from Cas?" Dean asked, trying not to sound too eager. He was hoping Cas would show soon.

"Nothing," he turned towards Elena, "I'm Kevin."

"Elena." Elena's stomach grumbled loudly as she introduced herself.

Dean sighed, "We'll eat after I check on Crowley."

Dean walked out of the main room and Elena followed. Dean looked over his shoulder. He had not expected her to come with him, "Elena stay back here."

"Why?" She asked, "I know who Crowley is and what you guys are doing to him. You know that, right?"

Sam looked at his brother and shrugged.

"Listen, I just don't think we need to bring in a girl who looks like you so Crowley can insult you and try and get a rise out of you. He hasn't had an audience in days so I'm sure he'll be at his best." Dean explained.

Elena blushed, "What do I look like?"

Sam pursed his lips and cleared his throat, "Okay, Dean let's go."

OoOoOo

Elena watched Kevin as he meticulously went over the angel tablets. She knew all about Kevin, well she knew what Dean knew about Kevin. She felt bad for him, but she could see he was doing his best.

"So anything about me in there?" Elena asked jokingly.

Kevin looked at her and grinned, "There could be. Castiel called you their savior. Hopefully he'll be able to fill us in a bit more when he gets here."

"When will that be?" Elena asked.

Kevin shrugged, "Things are pretty out of whack right now. Perfect time to be joining the team."

Just then, Dean and Sam walked in, smug looks on their faces. "He's close. By tomorrow I'm guessing we'll know where to go next." Sam explained

"Who wants to get some food?" Dean asked, feeling somewhat relieved.

"Yes." Kevin blurted.

"I think I'm just going to stay. I'm really tired." Elena lied. Sam could tell she was lying, as could Dean. She had slept the majority of the ride here, but it was understandable. Dean nodded, "Your room is down that hallway, second door to the left. The bathroom is right across the hall. If you need anything or something happens, call me right away." Dean proceeded to give Elena his number. Her mouth tensed when she looked at her phone, but she added his number nonetheless.

"Alright. I'll see you both tomorrow." Elena murmured and went to her room. They all left. Dean did not feel quite right about leaving, but he did anyway.

OoOoOo

Elena's bedroom was bare, stone floors and walls surrounding her. She put her bags down and sat on the edge of the bed.

She pulled her phone out, not surprised to see all the texts and missed calls. A barrage of voicemails also awaited her. Caroline, Bonnie, and Jeremy all wondering where she was and when would she be back? Calls from Jenna and Stefan made her heart hurt.

Her hands shook as she called Stefan. He picked up on the first ring.

"Elena where are you? Jenna said you were with two men she had never seen before and then you just left." Stefan sounded more worried than agitated.

Elena sighed, "Stefan, calm down. I am all right. Something came up and I didn't really have a choice. Just know that I am safe, okay?" Elena suddenly felt exhausted.

"I'm coming to get you. Tell me where you are." Stefan persisted.

"I can't do that. I'll be home as soon as I can, but I don't want you to look for me. And I don't want you to wait for me either." She struggled to finish her sentence.

"What are you saying?" Stefan asked.

"Stefan, I trust you. And you can trust me. And maybe if things were different we could have been something. But, with how things are now, where I am now, anything between us just seems impossible at the moment." Elena attempted to break the news to him as easily as she could. It was all true. She did care about Stefan and maybe in another life, things may have worked out. But she felt herself changing and along with that, her feelings were too.

"Elena, if you just-."

"Please try to understand." And with that, she hung up.

With a heavy heart, Elena lay down and closed her eyes. Elena sent out a group text explaining that she would keep in touch and she was safe, but that only came with everyone asking more questions. Frustrated, Elena slammed the phone on the nightstand. She wished she were stronger, but the tears came anyway.

OoOoOo

Dean realized how exhausted he was the second he was out of sight. He had been strong the last two days. He had no choice. But now, he was just plain tired. As he walked past Elena's room he could not mistake what he heard.

Soft sobs came from behind the wooden door. Dean paused. He knew what she was going through. He felt badly for her. But what could he do? He felt like he was in part to blame for what was happening to her.

He continued towards his bedroom.

**A/N There's chapter 1! Like I said this story focuses on Supernatural and it's world, I just stole Elena ;) In later chapters some direct dialogue will be used from the show, but mostly mine! Thanks again!**

**Please review and let me know what thought :)**


	2. Just A Little Taste

Dean looked up as Elena walked into the library of the bunker. He was on the phone with a fellow hunter, Irv, filling in the details from the night that the angels fell. Her hair was down and she was casually dressed in jeans and a navy sweater. She didn't look like she had been crying the night before. Elena noticed Dean's scrutiny and gave him a reassuring nod.

Elena sat beside Sam who was looking through an old text. Kevin was also reading something. Dean closed his phone and looked at Elena. She was so young and something about her just screamed innocence. Hell, she was only seventeen. He hated that she was being introduced to their lifestyle.

"Anything new?" Elena asked.

Sam shrugged, "We're just waiting. Something will come up sooner or later."

"Alright. So this is what you guys do, just wait for something to pop up?" Elena tapped her fingers on the table. She didn't feel like she was accomplishing anything just sitting there.

Kevin smirked, "Pretty much."

Elena looked him. She related to Kevin for a lot of reasons, but at least he knew his part in all of this, "So tell me what you guys do for fun?" She knew the concept was foreign to them.

They all looked at each other and shared a laugh. Elena raised her eyebrows and shrugged. "I say we go see a movie or go dancing or play pool somewhere. After we got some work done." She smiled.

Kevin glanced up, "The second you want to go dancing, just let me know."

Dean studied her for a second, "This lifestyle is dangerous. You aren't ready for any of this." She understood his position on the matter, but was taken aback by how adamant he was.

There was an awkward silence, and then Elena said to Dean. "I believe you said you were going to show me the ropes." Elena was completely serious and ready to learn. After ending things with Stefan last night, and hopefully placating her friends and family, she was ready for the next chapter of her life.

"Teach her what?" Sam asked.

"She wants to learn to hunt." Dean said coolly.

Sam seemed surprised, "Really?"

Dean nodded.

"If I am your guys' savior, then I should I be able to hold my own. I believe I have a lot to learn, so let's get to it. It's not like we are doing anything else." She motioned for Dean to get her started.

Sam seemed hesitant, "Elena, are you sure this what you want?"

She let out a sigh, "Look, I'm not asking to learn how to do everything in one day. Just the basics."

Dean shrugged. Even though he disagreed with her, he was not going to argue with her, "Alright then. We got to take care of a few things," he said gesturing to Elena.

"Okay. What's first?" Elena was perhaps too giddy, while both Winchesters were weary.

"A tattoo." Dean smiled, hoping this would shake her.

"A tattoo? Is that necessary?" Elena asked. She should have known it was coming. She knew everyone had one to avoid demonic possession. It was just something she never thought she would have to get done herself. Tattoos were never something she had been interested in.

Both brothers nodded.

"Why? Do you guys have one?"

The brothers pulled the collars of their shirt down, showing their tattoos. Elena stared a bit longer than she should have.

"Unless you want to be possessed by a demon…"Sam grinned.

"There's a place down the road we can get 'em done quick."

Elena forced a smile, "Well let's get going."

OoOoOo

"Alright. Who wants to start?" The tattoo artist was a man in his late fifties who looked too much like Santa Clause.

"It's just me today." Elena stepped forward.

She began to pull her shirt off since she was getting the tattoo on her shoulder. Dean could not help but stare at the tan skin that began to peek out from beneath the sweater. He reminded himself that she was still too young and he was far too damaged to have anything to do with her. Elena saw the flash of lust in Dean's eyes.

She lay forward, and the tattoo artist began to tattoo the symbol on her right shoulder. Dean watched her facial expressions as she managed the pain. She barely flinched. Sam watched Dean and Elena. He couldn't put his finger on it, but there was something between the two. It was hard to explain, but the vibes between them was different.

When it was all finished, Elena pulled her hair around her neck. "How is it?" She asked Dean.

"It looks good." He smiled slightly.

Elena looked in the mirror. The area was a bit red still, but overall it matched Sam and Dean's perfectly.

"I think so too," She turned towards Sam, "What's next?"

OoOoO

Well you're a natural shot." Dean said as Elena shot square in the chest of the target. Elena's legs had stopped shaking after she shot the first bullet. Once she found herself loosening up, the rest was simple. Focus. Breathe. Aim. Shoot.

"That's something I guess." Elena put the gun down.

Dean shrugged, "Do you think you could use it if it came down to that?"

"If I had to. If it was the only way to save someone or protect them." While she was saying 'them', she meant more so Sam and Dean.

Dean knew it was a matter of time before Elena would have her first kill. It was inevitable now. She had made her decision. He just did not think she was ready for the aftermath. Killing took its toll and no one knew that better than Dean.

"Okay Dean, I think I understand." Elena set the pistol down.

Dean had to admit their day had been productive. After the tattoos, he taught Elena the basics of hand-to-hand combat, using the demon killing knife, and now the gun. Aside from more practice there was not much more he could do.

"Well you know how the basics at the very least." Dean poured himself a small glass of whiskey. Elena watched him, and while she disapproved, she remained quiet. Once they knew each other better, she would be more apt to speak up. While she knew him, Dean didn't know much about her.

"Thanks for teaching me." Elena smiled at him.

"It was no problem." Dean had actually liked spending time with her, which was completely abnormal for him. Even though he hated introducing anyone into the life, Elena had made it pretty easy.

"I know you don't really support it, but it's for the best. I hope you know that much." Elena took a step closer to him.

Just then, Sam walked in, "C'mon guys. We're leaving."

"What's going on?" Elena asked.

"A bus full of bodies. We think it's demons and we've got a few hours to drive before we get there." Sam gave them a tight-lipped smile before leaving the room.

Dean and Elena shared a look.

"Are you ready?" He asked her, knowing full well what she'd say.

"Let's go."

OoOoOo

After almost getting caught by an actual sergeant, Elena stood at the crime scene. She had never seen a dead body before, let alone multiple bodies. She looked the part, but she certainly didn't feel it. Elena watched as the brothers inspected the bodies.

"Anything?" Dean asked.

"All these bodies have a different wound and they're all old." Sam muttered.

"So we're looking at a bunch of meat suits?" Dean was getting frustrated

Elena turned and saw the sergeant walking towards them. She opened the bus doors and allowed the woman to walk up. She held a touchscreen tablet in her hands.

"Thought you might want to see this." She announced as she pressed play on the video.

Elena was shocked by what she saw.

OoOoOoO

Abaddon was supposed to be dead, but she appeared to be very much alive. The sun had set as the trio began their trip back towards the bunker. Sam and Dean were at a loss, but had a newfound purpose.

Sam let out a sigh and looked back at Elena, "You know you are taking this all very well." Sam laughed.

Elena nodded, "Yeah I guess I am."

"You know about any of this stuff before you met us?" Sam asked.

"Vampires and witches…that was it." Elena told him.

"Witches too? I hate witches." Dean muttered under his breath. This girl was something else. But Sam was learning not to be surprised by Elena anymore.

"They're not all bad Dean. You know that better than anyone." Elena said.

"Oh yeah? And how would you know that?" Dean asked somewhat defensively. Elena realized her slip up.

She thought quickly and then said, "Well I've only been around supernatural creatures for a few weeks and I've seen it. You've been hunting for how long? I'm sure you noticed too."

"She has a point." Sam was starting to like Elena more and more.

"Shut up." Dean muttered and turned up the radio.

Elena crossed her arms, feeling somewhat satisfied. Just then Sam's phone rang.

"Whoa, calm down Kevin." Sam urged and the put the phone on speaker.

"She gave me these coordinates. 44.054345 by 124.53223, and two names. Irv Franklin and Tracy Bell." Kevin's voice was shaky with fear and adrenaline.

"Irv's a friend. I don't know Tracy." Dean responded. Elena sat up so she was between Sam and Dean.

"Alright, the lady said they were hunters and that if you didn't go save them, that she would kill them." Kevin was mildly frantic. He was used to the behind the scenes work.

"Yeah I've heard that before." Dean muttered.

"Who was she?" Kevin asked again

"She's the bad guy. Alright, new job, dig up everything you can on Knights of Hell. Find a way to kill one. Permanently." Dean commands. Elena watches him as he directs Kevin.

"Thanks Kevin." Elena says into the phone. Sam and Dean look back at her.

"No problem. See you guys soon." Kevin says and hangs up.

"Well the numbers point to Eugene Oregon." Sam says.

"This is a trap." Elena states the obvious.

"Well let's get to it." Dean says unenthusiastically.

"What about me?" Elena asks, not sure if she should even be there in this moment.

Dean clenched his jaw. It was too late to turn around, but he knew Elena was not prepared to face Abaddon. Hell, none of them were. But Elena was there and she wasn't going anywhere.

"Stay close." Dean replied.

OoOoO

Elena followed behind the brothers closely. The coordinates led them to a ghost town that was apparently contaminated by a chemical plant leak. Dean and Sam couldn't explain it, but they both felt a sense of calm emanating from them. Elena was just focusing on her breathing and finding the hunters.

They walked into a diner where the two hunters were tied to chairs. Dean ran forward and removed the gag from Irv's mouth. "Irv? Hey. Where's Abaddon?" He shook the hunter.

Irv looked at the Winchesters and Elena, then responded, "Abaddon's been torturing hunters. She's trying to get intel on you boys."

"Why?" Sam asked.

"I don't know. Now are you guys here to rescue us or what?"

Dean and Sam take flasks containing holy water out of their back pockets and make Irv, and the other hunter, Tracy drink from them. Elena is relieved when there is no reaction from them.

"Happy?" Tracy snaps.

Elena helps untie Irv and Tracy while Irv explains who Tracy is. Elena is too focused on the task at hand to really listen. She's hyper aware of where Sam and Dean are and that is her main focus. She has the demon blade in her hand, just in case. She's praying that she wouldn't have to use it.

"All right let's gear up." Dean began to check all of their supplies. He knew that Abaddon was coming, he just didn't know when. He glanced over at Elena who was standing next to Sam. They were looking out the window, watching.

"They're coming." Elena announced as soon as she saw them. The demons were dressed in heavy armor and had assault rifles. It wasn't really looking good for them.

"Bring it on." Dean mumbled.

"They have assault rifles." Sam announced.

Dean cocked his head up, "Alright. Not good."

"What do we do?" Irv asked.

OoOoO

They had set up a recording to distract the demons and thankfully it had worked. "Alright we need to split up." Sam told the group.

Elena knew she would be safe with either Sam or Dean. "Girls with me. Let's go." Dean said, leaving no room for argument. Elena and Tracy followed. Elena couldn't explain it, but she felt such a pull to be next to Dean. She felt something coming, but she couldn't stop it.

And then, she appeared. Abaddon stood before them and immediately threw Dean to the floor. Tracy raised her gun and shot Abaddon in the chest. Elena watched as Abaddon barely even flinched.

Abaddon chuckled and revealed that she was wearing a bulletproof fest. Without any more hesitation, Elena unscrewed the top of the flask of holywater and threw it on the demon. She staggered as the smoke rose from her body. Dean crawled over to Tracy and handed her his keys.

"You two, go get more bullets, holy water. Everything. Go." Dean yelled. Tracy listened, but Elena couldn't leave.

"Oh my, what a day. This is like a two for one special." Abaddon grinned at Dean and Elena.

"Elena leave." Dean knew that there wasn't going to be much talking in the next few minutes and he didn't want her to get hurt.

"Oh Dean let her stay. Truly, you are no fun," Abaddon focused on Elena, "They found you, huh? The doppelganger. How exciting."

Elena glared at Abaddon. She had never heard the word doppelganger before, but she would remember it. If they made it out of this, she was going to research as much as she could on the subject.

"You're very quiet. Do I intimidate you?" Abaddon couldn't stop smiling at Elena. Her bright red lipstick perfectly outlined her teeth.

Dean took Elena's hand, breaking her eye contact with Abaddon. "Run. Go to Sam and Irv, now." Dean stared at her so intently and spoke with such ferocity she knew she had to listen.

Elena took off in the opposite direction.

"How cute. Dean found a little pet. At least we're finally alone at last." Abaddon responded.

Elena's head was spinning and her heart was racing. She didn't know where Sam and Irv were, but she did know that she had left Dean alone with Abaddon. Her stomach knotted. Would he survive an attack from her? Elena heard movement in the diner they had previously been in.

She clutched the demon blade as if it was her saving grace. She walked inside to see Sam fighting three demons alone. Irv's body was across the room

Elena didn't know what else to do, but something ignited within her. Sam was thrown across the room as she charged one of the demons. He turned and grabbed her by the throat. Elena tried to knee him, but it was to no avail. She felt his fist connect with her face. She felt the warmth of the blood begin to pour. She struggled to get a decent grip on the blade, but when she did she jammed I into his stomach. She watched as the body became limp.

"Shield your eyes." She heard Sam yell. She squeezed her eyes shut and covered them with her arm. But the intense white light still seemed to seep into her line of vision.

When the brightness stopped Elena uncovered her eyes. Sam cam towards her and took the blade from her hands. He stabbed the remaining demons. Elena was trying to wrap her head around the fact that she had just stabbed someone, demon or not. She had taken life. And her body was throbbing from the pain she was in.

Dean came running into the diner. He stopped in his tracks when he saw Elena. She could imagine what she looked like. She brought her hand up to her face and hissed in pain. Dean came over and pulled her hand down, "You okay?" he asked softly. It was the most gentle he had been with her. Elena weakly nodded.

"Aside from the fact that I just got my ass handed to me." The metallic taste of blood filled her mouth. Elena tilted her head to the side and spit. Dean watched closely, making sure she was okay. Her face was already beginning to swell.

"The hell did you do?" Dean asked more harshly to Ezekiel.

"I was protecting Sam and Elena. Is that not what you wanted?" Ezekiel watched Elena and Dean curiously.

"No, it is, it is. I'm just getting used to this whole thing," Dean paused, "Sam is okay?" Dean was a mess internally.

"He was knocked unconscious. He will not remember this." Ezekiel informed them.

"What am I supposed to say when he comes to?" Dean tried to keep his voice lowered.

"That's why I used the knife." Ezekiel handed the knife back to Dean.

"You are troubled still." The angel noted.

Elena was beginning to sway lightly on her feet. She wanted to say something but her body wouldn't let her quite yet.

"Yeah, it's just that uh, this is on me. I was the one who talked Sam out of boarding up Hell. So ever demon deal, every kill, every person they hurt," Dean paused and looked at Elena, "Well you're looking at the person who let it happen."

With hooded eyes Elena looked up at the elder Winchester. He gave her a sad smile.

"You were protecting your brother. I am in Sam's head and everything he knows, I know. I know what you did was done out of love." Ezekiel explained.

"Yeah uh look, I'm not really with the whole uh, love and…love." Dean struggled with what he was trying to say.

"But it is why I said yes." Ezekiel countered.

"Yeah but if this goes sideways, that's on me too. I'm trusting you. And I hope you are one of the good guys." Dean was the most honest he had been with the angel.

"I am, but I suppose that is what a bad guy would say. Dean Winchester, you are doing the right thing." And with that Ezekiel retreated back into Sam's body and laid on the ground. The real Sam emerged.

He looked around, confused. Even more so when he saw that Dean was holding Elena's hand. Elena who was bloody and beaten.

"What the hell happened?" Sam rushed towards them. He couldn't remember.

"The demons were attacking you. You took a shot to the head. We saved your ass." Dean chuckled, making light of the situation.

"You killed three demons. Elena, you killed a demon?" He looked at her in a new light. She had gotten hurt to protect him.

Elena nodded and smiled slightly, "Yeah I did. Can't you tell?"

"Let's get out of here." Dean was more eager to leave and patch everyone up. He slipped his hand out of Elena's. Both of them acted like they didn't notice the absence of one another.

OoOoO

Elena definitely had the worst of the injuries. Sam sat her on the back of the Impala and began to patch her up. They were about fifteen miles away from the ghost town.

Elena felt like a truck hit her. She needed a few stitches above her eyebrow. Both brothers had to admit she handled it remarkably well. Sam poured some alcohol on a washcloth and held it against the wound. Dean couldn't help but tense every time she flinched. He had seen her in pain on too many occasions already.

"Ouch." Elena gasped.

"Okay, this looks good. You think you can make it back to the bunker?" Sam asked, while looking at his handiwork

"Thanks Sam. And yeah, we should get going." Elena responded.

"We can stop at a motel Elena. Just for the night."

"No, let's leave." Elena wanted to be back at the bunker. It was the closest thing that the brothers could call home and it was where she would feel most comfortable.

Dean had cut the drive down to about an hour and forty-five minutes. He just wanted to get her back. The second they stepped into their bunker, Elena had left them to go shower.

"Where do I even start?" Dean asked.

Sam looked around the bunker noticing Kevin was nowhere in sight.

"Where's Kevin?"

OoOoO

Elena watched the blood circle down the drain as she showered. It was as if her mind had not fully caught up to her body. She killed something. Just two weeks ago she was practicing with the squad and now she was stabbing demons. When she thought of the circumstances she knew she would do it again. And Abaddon had called her a doppelganger. She only knew that meant that there was a double of the person. Did it mean something more?

She turned off the faucet and wrapped a towel around her body. She looked at herself in the mirror, her reflection showing some unknown woman. A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. Dean walked in before she could let him in.

He looked at her, his jaw clenched. Without a word he pulled her in towards him and held her. Elena rested her head against his chest, not letting her astonishment stop her. "I'm okay." She whispered against him.

"Don't lie to me." Dean looked down at her.

His eyes searched her face, looking for any sort of telling emotion.

"I would do it again." Elena felt very protective suddenly.

"I know you would."

Something unspoken was happening right before them. Dean moved his hand to cup Elena's face. She looked into his green eyes, and felt at ease. Elena let her hand cover his, his skin rough compared to hers.

"Kevin almost left." Dean whispered.

Elena pulled back, "Just now?"

Dean nodded.

"Why?"

"Crowley told him his mom is still alive. He wants to find her now." Dean took a step back from Elena and sat down on counter. Elena sat on the edge of the bathtub.

"Do you think she is?" She asked.

"Hell, I don't know. He's a demon. He lies." Dean didn't know which to believe. He wanted all this to be done, but he just didn't see an endgame.

Elena let out a breath, "Abaddon called me a doppelganger. Was she lying?"

Dean looked at Elena, "I don't know enough about that. But, I'll find out."

A knock on the door caused them both to jump. "I'll be out in a second!" Elena called to whoever was knocking.

Dean stood and turned towards the door, "I'm glad you're okay." And then he left.

Elena closed her eyes and turned back to the mirror.

What the hell was happening?

OoOoOo

Sam and Dean sat at the long table in the bunker. Both had glasses of whiskey before them. Sam was lost in thought about the interactions with the other hunters and his being knocked unconscious. Dean felt like he was fighting just to keep his sanity. Kevin, Crowley, Sam, Abaddon, Elena; the thoughts consumed him. He knew it was going to be another sleepless night.

Elena walked into the room. She wore a Mystic Falls t-shirt and sleep shorts, her hair was still damp. Even though she was hurt, Dean thought she still looked pretty damn good.

"Just wanted to say goodnight. And thanks for being there for me today." Elena gave them both a smile and headed back to her room before either of them could respond.

"You look at her differently." Sam finally broached the subject he had shied away from. He was not used to seeing Dean being so gentle, especially not recently. Since his stint in purgatory, Dean was even further down the path of a hunter. He had no hope for a life after this. Sam was beginning to see something else though. He had seen Dean holding Elena's hand and he knew that he went to check on her in the bathroom.

Dean took a sip of his drink, "Sorry to disappoint you Sammy, but you're off for a lot of reasons. She is still just a kid."

"Oh come on."

"Nope." Dean tried to explain away what Sam was thinking.

"She kicked ass on this hunt." Sam made the obvious clear.

Dean continued to drink and ignore Sam. He had to admit that Elena was growing on him. And it seemed everyone she met was drawn to her as well. He knew she was the first good, pure thing to happen to him in a long time.

"She isn't one of us." Dean murmured.

"Maybe she is." Sam retorted.

Maybe he was right.

**Hope you guys enjoyed! Next chapter will focus more on Elena and her role in all of this. And a character I've been waiting to bring in finally makes their appearance. Thanks for the favorites/follows! **** Review and let me know what you thought!**


	3. Pushing the Boundaries

"You look rough." Kevin muttered as Elena walked into the room. She playfully shoved his shoulder in retaliation. Kevin had focused more on his work and less on what had occurred with Crowley a few days earlier. In truth, he liked having Elena around. She brought a certain dynamic to the group that was missing before.

Elena knew she was still in bad shape. Her face was swollen still and the bruising made it look worse. But she had taken some pain pills that were in the bathroom and she was moving on. She wasn't in a rush to go head to head with another demon any time soon.

Her phone lit up, another text from Jeremy. She clicked the screen off and set it aside. Kevin noticed and said, "Family still?"

Elena shrugged, "It's only been a few days. They think I'm rebelling."

"If they only knew." Kevin shook his head.

Elena smiled at Kevin. He was only a few years older than her, but he understood exactly what she was going through. "Where are Sam and Dean?" Elena asked, realizing she hadn't seen them.

"Packing up. They're going to find Castiel." Kevin spoke nonchalantly.

Elena frowned. No one had said anything to her about leaving. She had assumed that she was going to stick with the brothers from now on. Elena stood up and went towards Dean's room.

"Yeah?" Dean replied to the knock on his door.

Elena walked in. It was the first time she had actually been inside his room and it was very much Dean. There was a typewriter in the corner of the room. The wall behind Dean's bed was decorated with a variety of weapons. Elena noticed a picture of Dean and his mom.

"You're leaving?" Elena asked. She tried not to sound defensive. Dean rubbed the back of his neck and let out a breath.

"Earlier, Sam and I were talking and Ezekiel came out and said that angels are organizing. We need to find Castiel." Dean explained. He tried to not obviously inspect Elena's face, but he observed that she was healing at least.

"And I have to stay here?" Elena questioned further.

Just then Sam walked in holding some duffel bags. He smiled at Elena, "Hey, you're up. Your face looks better, might scar a little." Sam cocked his head to the side to look at where her stitches were.

"Can't wait," Elena spoke dryly, "You don't want me there?" She asked more so to Dean. Sam looked at his brother. He knew that Dean was becoming more protective over her than he would ever admit.

Dean was already in a bad mood, lack of sleep and dealing with everything. He had seen Elena bloodied and beaten up, Kevin had got a few hits in on Crowley, and Sam was a whole new case. And now he had to get Cas back.

"The last encounter with demons didn't go over so well." Dean tried to be as subtle as possible.

Sam couldn't control his smirk as Dean struggled. He had told Dean earlier that it was part of the gig, but Dean wouldn't listen. "I'm gonna go load up the car," Sam announced.

Elena focused on Dean. She could feel his turmoil. He let out a sigh, "Elena, it's not that I don't want you there. It's just that I don't think it's safe. Not with everything that's happening."

"Why? How many times do I have to tell you, I'm fine." Elena felt a pull towards him in that instant. He needed to be comforted. Elena moved near him. She sat down on the edge of his bed, while he remained standing.

"Last time you got hurt. It's too much to have to watch you and make sure you don't get hurt." He partially lied. If he had to make Elena mad just so that she would stay in the bunker, he was okay with it. He didn't think he would handle seeing her get hurt again so well.

Elena looked up at him, their eyes meeting instantly. Everything about Elena was drawing him in. "I'll stay back and help out Kevin, okay?" Elena looked up at Dean. She had been meaning to look into what a doppelganger was anyway.

"Alright." Dean was relieved.

Elena stood up and smiled at him. It made his chest hurt, how she looked at him. They had only just met, but it felt like he had known her a long time. He was sure if she knew half the things that he had done, she wouldn't be look at him like this.

"Be careful." Elena warned. Dean nodded down at her. And then Elena wrapped her arms around Dean as if she had done so a hundred times before. Dean stiffened, but allowed himself to relax. Dean brought his arm around her waist.

"Ready?" Sam asked, walking back into the room. He raised his eyebrows at what he saw. Dean glared at him.

"Yeah." Dean muttered and moved past Elena to leave.

OoOoOo

On the way out to the Impala Sam looked over at Dean, "So you convinced her to stay, huh?"

"I didn't convince her to do anything." Dean was not amused by Sam's antics.

"Dean why don't you just admit it already?" Sam was enjoying this a little bit too much.

"I'm not here to talk about feelings and butterflies. Let's get going." Dean snapped.

OoOoO

"Do you know anything about doppelgangers?" Elena asked as she sat beside Kevin. Kevin was reading over the tablets for what seemed like the hundredth time. He had to be missing something. There had to be some key as to what to do next.

"No," he laughed, because he had been doing so much research on supernatural topics it seemed crazy to him that he had missed something, "I don't."

Elena rolled her eyes. Kevin looked over at her. She was only a bit younger than him, but she seemed much older. "So, you and Dean?" Kevin had been really curious. He had never seen Dean with a woman and the way he acted with Elena was interesting enough.

"What about him?" Elena asked.

"You two are together?" Kevin pressed.

"No? Why are you asking me that?" Elena felt her face flush. She felt like a little kid being accused of having a crush.

"The way you two are. I just thought there was something there." Kevin responded.

"Just friends." Elena muttered as she leaned over a book, pretending to read.

Kevin paused, "Okay. If you want to know anything about a supernatural creature, you can just ask Sam or Dean."

Elena shook her head, "No. They're busy enough. I'll just look into it on my own."

"Ask Crowley. I'm sure he is dying to talk." Kevin laughed, making a joke out of bitterness.

But Elena thought it was a good idea. Crowley was a demon. He knew about everything. As the king of hell, there wasn't a paranormal concept that escaped him. Even with what had just happened with Kevin and Crowley, she thought he would still talk to her.

"That's perfect!" Elena smiled brightly.

"Elena, I was kidding. Crowley's dangerous." Kevin looked at her in horror.

"I'll talk to him for a few minutes and leave. It's no big deal." Elena wasn't afraid of Crowley, at least not while he was contained. She was sure there was a part of him was feeling more human than ever.

"Sam and Dean wouldn't like it."

"Well they don't have to know." Elena countered, even though she knew it was true.

Kevin was exasperated, but held his hands up in surrender.

Elena nodded and made her way to where they were holding Crowley.

OoOoO

"He's going by Clarence." Dean muttered as he got into his car.

Sam chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Dean asked.

"Well that's what Meg used to call him. He doesn't know Clarence is an angel from It's a Wonderful Life." Sam explained.

Dean was dumbfounded. He had no idea what Sam was talking about.

"The movie? Really Dean?" Sam shook his head. Sometimes it escaped him how different Dean was from him. For all their similarities, their differences were extreme.

Dean rolled his eyes, "What else ya got?"

"Another angel has been killed. Outside of Lafayette, a small town about a days drives from here." Sam explained. The angels weren't just being killed, they were being tortured.

Dean knew that getting Cas back wasn't going to be a quick event, but he wished it were. He wouldn't say it out loud, but he wanted to get back to the bunker. He knew he'd have to check in with Elena eventually.

Dean hit the gas.

OoOoO

Crowley looked up and grinned when he saw Elena walk in. He knew who she was before she said a word. "Crowley." Elena crossed her arms across her chest. She had seen through Dean's memories the sort of thing he was capable of, but she was not worried in this situation.

"This is an interesting turn of events. Looks like someone got a hold on you. Dean or Sam?" Crowley bit out.

She clenched her jaw, "Demons actually. I'm Elena." She introduced herself.

"I assumed." He knew she was not her identical other.

"I want to talk about doppelgangers." Elena said, ignoring his comments.

Crowley laughed, "That's just rich. Why, may I ask, is the subject of interest to you?" He could see that the girl had no idea who she was.

"Because, apparently I am someone's doppelganger. And by the way you've acted since I came in here, you know that already." Elena felt empowered before Crowley. Of course he was bound to a chair and incapacitated.

"I do. You're a smart girl."

"Just tell me what I want to know." Elena sighed.

"What do I get in return?" Crowley asked.

"What do you want?"

"Let me go." He asked simply.

Elena laughed outright, "That's never going to happen and you know it."

"All right. I had to try. Then I want you to tell me who you are, why you're here, how you got here." Crowley offered instead. He wanted to know what she did. Even if he felt like he was a few steps ahead of her, it was useful to know what the others did.

Elena thought about it. What harm was there in telling him? She would of course leave out some of the details. "Okay. What do you know?" Elena asked.

"Does the name Katherine Pierce mean anything to you?" Crowley asked.

Elena let the name sit in her mind, "No. Who is she?"

"Your doppelganger. You are identical in looks. A doppelganger is almost like having an identical twin." Crowley explained.

"How do you know this?"

"Why Elena, she's a vampire. I think I know about the creatures of hell." Crowley told her.

Elena was taken aback. She hadn't been expecting that. "Why is she so significant?"

"Who said she was?" Crowley smiled.

Elena was now more curious. "What else?"

"I believe I told you what you wanted to know and perhaps a little bit more than that." Crowley was feeling more like himself.

Elena raised her eyebrow and turned to leave, "Not really Crowley."

"I believe we had a deal."

Elena smiled sweetly at him, "Sorry Crowley. Maybe another time."

Elena walked out of the compound. Kevin was standing there, waiting for her. He was tense, but relaxed once Elena walked out.

"Did you get what you wanted?" Kevin asked.

Elena shrugged, "I know more than I did. But I still don't know enough. When you found out that you were a prophet, didn't you have questions?"

Kevin and Elena began to walk back into the main room of the bunker. Kevin nodded, "Of course I did. And they're still not all answered."

"Great." Elena muttered.

They went back to work, letting time pass.

OoOoO

It had been three days and Elena was out of her mind with worry and irritation. She didn't want to call Dean because she didn't want to bother him, especially if things with Castiel were happening. She knew they were busy with the task at hand, but she couldn't stop feeling like she had to talk to Dean.

Elena was still in sweatpants and a black tank top, not really caring anymore. Her hair was still wet from her shower and she had no makeup on. Her and Kevin had spent the last three days mainly reading about their perspective missions. She had contemplated calling Stefan to ask about Katherine, assuming that all vampires must know each other, but she couldn't bring herself to. Not yet.

"So they usually don't call, right?" Elena asked, trying to be nonchalant.

Kevin shrugged, "Not unless they are in trouble or need something."

"So this is good?" Elena asked.

Kevin grinned, "Would you stop worrying about him."

Elena flushed, "I'm not worried about him. I just want Castiel to be okay." Which was not a total lie.

Elena's phone rang and her heart jumped. She saw "Dean Winchester" light up her phone screen.

"Hello?" She knew she sounded too excited.

"Elena, hey. We're heading back; we should be there in a few hours. Cas is with us." Dean told her. Dean had attempted not to call, he wasn't used to that feeling like he had to. But in the end he succumbed to his desire to.

"Is Cas okay?" Elena asked.

Dean replied, "Yeah, he's good," he paused, "How was the bunker?"

Kevin watched Elena talk to Dean, closely observing. "I talked to Crowley the day you guys left." She admitted. She knew he wasn't going to like it and she would rather tell him when he wasn't there to physically yell at her. Kevin stared at her wide eyed and threw his hands up. Elena rolled her eyes at him.

There was a long silence and Elena smiled uncomfortably. "Why did you do that? Kevin just let you walk in there?" Dean was incredulous.

"He didn't really have much of a choice." Elena responded. She didn't want Kevin to be on bad terms with Dean or Sam.

"Why were you in there?" Dean asked, trying not to take his irritation out on Elena.

"I wanted to know a few things. Crowley told me about my doppelganger." Elena told Dean.

Dean was disbelieving, "Why would he do that? How does he even know?"

"She's a vampire, so a creature of hell. Crowley would know." Elena told him.

"Oh that's just great. What else did he say?" Dean was back to his sarcasm.

"That was about it."

"And he just told you what you wanted to know? No questions asked?"

"Well, he wanted to know why I was here. But I didn't tell him." Elena felt a little proud of that fact. She had left Crowley curious and aggravated. Maybe that would get him to open up a bit more?

Dean let out a breath.

"Are you okay?" Dean asked, showing his concern.

Elena responded, "Yes. He just told me what I wanted to know."

"Okay, well we'll be there soon."

"Alright. See you soon."

OoOoO

The trio walked into the bunker and finally relaxed. Dean was happy to be back, especially with Castiel in tow. The once angel was looking around in awe at the bunker. Sam set the bags of fast food on the table.

Kevin and Elena walked in as if on cue. It was bizarre seeing him standing before her, in the flesh. In Dean's mind she saw him, but this was something different. Dean glanced at Elena, looking her over to make sure she was okay. In the few days he had been gone she had really healed up. Elena caught Dean looking at her.

"Uh Elena, Cas. Cas, Elena." Dean introduced them.

"It is a pleasure to finally meet you." Castiel extended his hand. Perhaps it was so strange because he was human now. There was something different about him without his grace.

"Nice to meet you, too." Elena smiled.

Kevin grabbed some of the food off the table, "Man, I'm starving."

"Want the grand tour?" Elena asked Castiel sweetly. She really just wanted to get him alone since she had so many questions that she believed only he could answer.

"I would like that very much." Castiel followed Elena. She quickly showed him where the bathroom was, the library, and then towards the bedrooms. She led him into her room, which was slowly starting to resemble the room of a person. She had unpacked her clothes, a few books and pictures as well.

"This is your room?" Castiel asked.

Elena nodded.

She let him look around a little bit before she cut to the chase. "I was hoping you could tell me something about why I'm here. I know you received that message, but is there something you can tell me I don't already know." Elena was trying to figure it all out. In her mind, it all was so jumbled. She had only been out of Mystic Falls for a few days and she already felt like a different person.

Castiel pondered her words.

"There is some information that I am not due to tell you. When the time is right perhaps. You are the savior of the Winchesters. You will guide them, protect them, and heal them. There is a bond between you and the brothers. It will continue to grow." Castiel explained.

It was all too cryptic for Elena. The feelings and all she had seen were only adding to her confusion. "When they came to Mystic Falls, Dean grabbed me and, I saw his entire life. Everything. I touched Sam. There was absolutely nothing." Elena knew Castiel would keep this between them.

"But Sam seems to be doing very well."

"Because of Ezekiel." Elena countered.

Castiel shook his head and stared pointedly at her.

Elena was a bit taken back. She hadn't done anything but touch him. She hadn't even focused on him really. "I'm helping him?" She asked in awe.

Castiel nodded, "It would appear to be that you are helping the both of them."

"How?"

"It is what you are."

"I'm just a girl." Elena spoke defensively.

Castiel shook his head.

"Then what?"

Elena felt like she was on the brink of getting more information. "What do you think?" Dean asked, suddenly coming into Elena's room.

Castiel turned and nodded, "I think I will enjoy my time here very much."

Elena could feel that Dean was uncomfortable, that he was about to do something that was going to change a lot. "We need to talk." He looked at Castiel.

"Of course Dean. You know I appreciate our talks, our time together."

"Listen, buddy," Dean paused, "You can't stay here."

It was as if the air had been sucked up from the room. Elena was completely taken aback by Dean's admission. The hurt on Castiel's face was so blatant; Elena's heart ached for him.

"I do not understand." Castiel whispered.

"Dean, he's safest here." Elena stated the obvious.

Dean glanced at her, "I know that," he let out a breath, "Ezekiel thinks having you here is going to lead the angels here. And he can't risk that. And Sam isn't healed yet." Dean was at a loss.

Elena looked to Castiel. Should she say what Castiel had just told her?

Before she could say a word, Castiel stood, "I understand. Thank you Dean," he turned towards Elena, "I hope our paths will cross soon."

Elena watched as Castiel left the bunker. Dean cursed under his breath. Elena couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed in Dean. Castiel was his friend, but Sam was his brother. She wondered what he would have done if she had been the one in Castiel's position.

Dean saw the way Elena looked at him and it got under his skin. "Don't look at me like that." He spoke softly. He needed someone on his side through this.

Elena shook her head, "I'm sorry you had to make that decision."

"So am I." Dean said as he walked out the room.

OoOoO

Elena couldn't fall asleep if her life depended on it. After Castiel had left, there was just a sadness looming in the bunker. Sam went into his room, Kevin kept working, and Dean went off to a bar. Elena had stayed back. She had fallen asleep for a little bit, but too many thoughts kept her awake. Castiel was gone to who knew where and she had more questions than ever.

A glass breaking erupted Elena's thoughts. She got out of bed quickly and went to see what had happened. She glanced at the clock and saw that it was three in the morning.

Dean was cleaning up glass of the floor, his hand partially cut open. "Dean?" Elena was disbelieving. She knelt down to help him. The strong stench of whiskey hit her and she knew he was far past drunk. He looked very serious until his eyes landed on her.

"I broke it." He murmured, his words slurring.

Elena nodded, "Yes you did. Sit down, I'll clean it up." Elena tried not to watch as he stumbled into a chair.

Elena picked up the glass and tossed it in the trash. She grabbed a cheap plastic cup from the cabinet and filled it with water. "Drink this." She handed it to Dean. He was unwilling, but did it anyway.

"You want to talk about something?" Elena tried. She knew if he was drinking this much it was to cover up something.

He shook his head, "What's there to say? Cas is gone. Sam's not even Sam and you…" Dean didn't finish his sentence.

Elena moved over to him and began to help him up, "You need to get some sleep." Dean usually hated help from others, but he let her this time. She felt so small compared to him.

Once they were to his room, Elena turned the lights on and helped him sit on his bed. She watched as he sloppily began to untie his boots. She knew he was in pain and he wasn't handling it well.

"No one is mad at you about Cas. Not even Cas is mad. We're figuring this Sam thing out. And Dean, I don't think I could be upset with you if I wanted to be." Elena tried to make him feel better with the truth. Cas was hurt, not mad. And Sam was a whole other mystery. But, Elena knew that she at least was not angry at the elder Winchester.

Dean looked up at her.

"And one more thing," since Elena felt like she was on a roll, "You think you don't deserve any amount of happiness. But you do. There is something good in you. I see that and so does everyone else."

Elena gave him a soft smile and turned to leave.

"Will you stay?" He asked. For a moment it wasn't the Dean she had grown accustomed to, but an innocent, scared version of himself. Elena stared at him, the way he looked at her was enough to make her want to accommodate his every whim.

Elena let out a breath and climbed into the bed. She pulled up the covers and motioned for Dean to come beside her. Dean couldn't believe that she had actually stayed. His mind was still a bit hazy, but he knew what was happening.

Dean wasn't the type to lay in bed with women. Elena knew that. But they both needed this, the closeness, the heat of another person. Elena moved her head to rest on Dean's chest and closed her eyes. Dean's arm instinctively wrapped around her.

"Night Dean."

"Night."

**Review please! Hope you all are enjoying it!**


	4. Going Back

**Thanks to everyone reading! This chapter takes place in Mystic Falls. I had to change around some information/timeline, but I think it turned out good :) Enjoy!**

Elena and Sam were playing chess. It was a rare occasion that the brothers decided not to hunt; it was time for a break. Even if it was brief. After Castiel leaving, it just felt like it was time to put things on hold. Dean had gone out to pick up some things and Kevin had been asleep for the last few hours. Elena and Sam were the only ones still up and around the bunker.

Elena's thoughts were elsewhere as she played. She had woken up in Dean's bed, alone. She knew it was more intimate than it should have been, but she knew that Dean was also drunk so it hadn't meant anything anyways. Yet, she couldn't stop thinking about the way he held her or how he felt beside her.

"You feeling okay?" Sam questioned.

"Yeah? Why?"

"I saw you walking out of Dean's room this morning." Sam grinned at Elena's response. She looked at Sam and shrugged.

"He came in drunk last night. I put him to bed."

"And you stayed with him?" Sam chuckled.

"Shut up Sam." Elena mumbled.

"I'm just wondering what's going on between you two." Sam said as he took Elena's queen.

"That's game." Elena muttered.

Just then Dean came in carrying a few bags. He looked completely relaxed, almost happy. He smiled at both Elena and Sam. Elena didn't know what to expect when she would see Dean, but this was not it.

"I figured since we're having an easy day I'd get some food and the first season of Game of Thrones." Dean was as excited as a little kid.

Sam laughed, "Really Dean?"

Dean shrugged, "Why not? What else are we doing today?"

"I think it's a great idea." Elena announced.

Sam rolled his eyes, "Alright let's do it."

"Atta boy Sammy." Dean grinned as he walked into the other room to set up.

Elena felt her phone vibrate and saw that it was Stefan calling. She had called a few days ago while Sam and Dean had been tracking down Castiel. Elena had assumed that Stefan may know who Katherine was since he was a vampire too.

"I'll be in in a minute." Elena said as she moved to the hallway away from the brothers.

She accepted his call quickly, "Stefan, hi."

"Are you okay Elena?" He asked quickly and tersely.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just…does the name Katherine Pierce mean anything to you?" Elena asked. With dealing with everything happening with Sam and Dean, her doppelganger wasn't the first thing in line to tackle. And while Crowley alluded that it wasn't important, to Elena it was.

Silence came from the other line.

"Hello?"

"Is Katherine there?" Stephan asked, his voice more serious than Elena was used to.

"No. She's not. But apparently I'm her doppelganger. Though you already knew that." Elena clenched her jaw.

"I did. Elena, don't look for her. She's dangerous. Please come back to Mystic Falls. You are protected here." Stephan pleaded.

"I'm not coming back. And I can take care of myself. Why didn't you tell me about her?" Elena asked.

"I didn't want to scare you. Or think that I was only with you because you looked like her." Stephan explained.

"Is she there?" Elena asked.

"No, of course not. But, a lot has happened since you left."

"What are you talking about?" Elena asked suddenly weary.

Stefan pauses, "Elena just come back, just for a few days. A lot is happening and you need to be here for Jeremy." Stefan tried again.

"What does Jeremy have to do with any of this?"

"I'll tell you everything you want to know about Katherine. Just come home." With that he hung up.

Elena cursed under her breath.

OoOoO

Sam took a sip of his beer as he watched Dean set up the DVD player. He had noticed that Dean was acting a little different, but that was how Dean had been since the angels fell. He noticed that Elena calmed him down.

"How you doing Dean?" Sam asked.

Dean shrugged, "I'm fine."

"I saw that Elena was in your room-"

Dean raised his hand, "Sam, don't. There's nothing to say. Nothing happened."

Sam raised his hands in defense, "I'm not saying anything."

"Well good." Dean finished lamely.

Elena walked in, looking exasperated.

OoOoO

Dean could not believe he was driving to Mystic Falls. Elena had filled him and Sam on everything Crowley had said and everything Stefan had said. He could barely admit it to himself let alone out loud, but he wasn't too crazy about the fact that Elena was in touch with Stefan. Which made him feel like a child.

"So what exactly are we going to do in Mystic Falls?" Sam asked, needing further explanation.

Elena sighed, "Stefan said a lot is going on and when I texted Jeremy he seemed…off," Elena paused, "And he's going to tell me about Katherine."

"Your doppelganger?" Sam clarified.

"Your vampire doppelganger." Dean muttered. Elena and Dean's eyes met in the rearview mirror. She looked at him pleading. She just had a feeling that something was happening and she needed to be there. She didn't want to go back just as much as Sam and Dean didn't want to.

"Look, maybe nothings wrong. But at least we'll all have some more information. I can't be the only a bit curious about who I am." Elena wanted to say, "what I am" but refrained. She couldn't really place it, but she was starting to feel different.

Sam had to agree there, "Okay, but we can't spend too much time there."

"Of course not." Elena muttered.

OoOoO

"This is where they live?" Sam asked, impressed. Dean let out a low whistle. Elena felt weird being back already. She had texted Jeremy to let him know she was in town, but didn't mention it to anyone else. She didn't want a big fuss about her being back and the innumerable amount of questions there would undoubtedly be.

"The Salvatore Boarding house." Elena murmured. She didn't think she was ever going to come back here. She had to admit she was actually kind of nervous to Stefan again. Damon too.

Elena looked over at Dean. "Are you good with this?" Elena asked quietly enough so Sam couldn't hear.

Dean shrugged, "Is there a reason not to be?"

Elena bit the inside of her cheek, "We'll get lunch after this, okay? We can talk," Elena paused, "They use rings that allow them to go in the sunlight without repercussions."

Sam seemed impressed. They all walked up to the front door. Before Elena could knock, Stefan opened the door. Dean looked over the vampire. He was tall, built and no doubt incredibly strong. He was just waiting for Stefan to give him a reason to kill him.

"Elena, I'm glad you came." Stefan eyed the brothers wearily.

Elena nodded, "I don't really feel like you gave me much of a choice. This is Sam and Dean." She introduced the men.

"Winchester?" Stefan asked, relaxing slightly.

"Yes."

"That's us." Dean smiled.

"Well come on in." Stefan moved out of the doorway so the group could come in. Sam and Dean looked around the room. It was a lot nicer than a lot the other places they had found vampires staying.

"Stefan, tell me what's going on." Elena was not in the mood for any more games or polite pretense; she wanted to know why she had to be in Mystic Falls. It was hard to be back, especially when she knew she wouldn't be staying.

"Would you rather talk about Katherine first?" Stefan motioned for everyone to sit.

Elena sat beside Dean on the antique loveseat, while Sam sat across from them. Stefan rummaged through a drawer in the corner of the room and grabbed something. He handed a framed photo to Elena and sat in a chair beside her.

Elena gasped. It was Katherine, but it looked exactly like her. She was dressed in a beautiful gown, her hair up in curls, expensive jewelry adorned her neck. Dean stared at the picture momentarily stunned.

"How do you know her?" Elena asked, finally looking up at Stefan.

"She turned Damon and I into what we are." He told her.

Elena was surprised by his admission. "You never told me that." Elena whispered.

Stefan shrugged, "It was dangerous enough, you knowing what we were to begin with. Katherine…Katherine is a part of the past."

"She's dangerous?" Elena asked.

"Yes."

"Where is she now?" Elena asked out of curiosity.

"Far away from here. You'll never have to meet her." Stefan spoke confidently.

Dean watched the way the two interacted. He could see the chemistry between the two of them and honestly unnerved him. As if Elena could sense him, she turned to face him and gave him a soft smile.

"What does she have to do with Elena?" Sam asked.

Stefan looked to Sam, "Ultimately, a Petrova doppelganger is needed to break a curse."

Dean looked up, "Needed how?"

"A sacrifice," Stefan paused, "But it would never come to that."

Elena was completely taken aback. She had never heard of any curse, let alone a sacrifice. "How do you know?" Elena asked, frustrated that Stefan was so knowledgeable yet he had never shared this information with her.

"The curse is a rumor. And those it involve are not coming to Mystic Falls." Stefan stated.

Dean shook his head, "What does this curse entail exactly?"

Stefan explained, "It is a curse that was created to keep the werewolf side of a vampire dormant. It was done in order to keep that kind of power restrained."

Dean rubbed the side of his face, "And this individual would need Elena or Katherine's blood?"

"Yes." Stefan answered.

"Well this is all good news," She paused, "Anything else about this that you would like to share?"

Stefan shook his head, "That's all I know. I should have told you sooner."

"Yeah, you should have." Elena tried not to sound bitter.

"What else is going on?" Dean pressed.

Stefan cleared his throat, "Jeremy."

Elena's head snapped up, "What's wrong with Jeremy?" She was very protective over her brother. She felt the most guilt leaving him.

"He hasn't been going to school, drugs," he paused, "Vicki." Stefan told her.

Dean and Sam were surprised. Elena seemed to be very put together. Her maturity astounded them sometimes. It was strange to hear that her brother was that opposite of her.

Elena felt the stab of disappointment and she partially blamed herself. If she were here, this stuff wouldn't be happening, well at least that was what she was telling herself.

"It's how he's coping." Elena muttered. It wasn't a good reason, but it was all she could muster.

"Coping with what?" Sam asked.

Elena looked up. She bit her lip, realizing she hadn't even talked about herself at all really. They knew she was in high school and cheered, but that was it. She hadn't talked about her personal life really at all.

"Our parents died in a car accident," She hesitated and looked at Dean, "I was there, but I made it." Elena felt strange telling him.

Dean stared at her, looking at her somewhat differently. He didn't feel pity, as he hated it when people pitied him, but he knew what that loss felt like. It struck him that Elena had a whole life he knew nothing about. He had never even asked. He wanted to know more now, not just about her parents, but her.

"I'm sorry." Dean said softly. Elena tried to be indifferent, but she still nodded as a response.

"And what about Vicki?" Elena asked.

Stefan began to speak, then Damon and Vicki walked in. "Yes Stefan, what about me?" Vicki asked dryly.

Elena stood up, surprised to see her at the manor. "Stefan?" Elena turned to face him.

Damon smiled wryly, "Look at this. What a reunion."

"Why is she here?" Elena asked, suddenly angry.

"I turned her." Damon declared.

Dean and Sam exchanged a look. She was too young to be a vampire. Damon was not even trying to hide his cruelty. Elena gasped. She had not expected this.

"Why?" Elena asked Damon.

"Why not?" Damon replied, his voice on edge.

Stefan glanced at his brother, "Damon, relax. Look Elena, we have this under control. She's not drinking human blood. She isn't going to hurt anyone." Stefan tried to explain.

"Yeah, heard that before." Dean scoffed.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Damon walked over towards Dean and Sam.

Stefan responded, "They're the Winchesters. Elena's with them."

"Both of them? Or just one?" Damon grinned.

Dean eyed Damon. He was not interested in what he had to say.

"She can't be around Jeremy." Elena ignored Damon's remark. She only cared about Jeremy's safety in this moment. She needed her brother to be back on track, but he wasn't at the moment and vampire Vicki wasn't going to help.

Vicki laughed, "Oh please, you aren't in control here."

"You can't see him anymore. You could hurt him." Elena snapped. She moved closer to Vicki, making her point that she was the dominant one between the two.

"I would never hurt Jeremy." She replied.

"I'm not taking that chance." Elena spoke with a newfound determination.

Vicki lunged forward, her hands locking around Elena's throat. Dean was up before he even had time to process it. Stefan and Damon pulled Vicki away almost instantly. Dean pulled Elena closer to him.

"Yeah, you're in total control." Elena turned towards Stefan, "She's going to hurt someone."

"As far as I'm concerned you're all vampires. And only one of you is apparently not feeding off humans." Dean bit out. He mostly wanted to kill Vicki for attempting to hurt Elena.

Damon rolled his eyes, "Please. You're not going to hurt us, not while Elena's here."

"I'm not going to let anybody get hurt." Stefan tried.

Elena shook her head, "We're leaving."

"Elena…" Stefan tried.

"I'm going to talk to Jeremy. I'll call you later." She wasn't going to leave Mystic Falls just yet. She couldn't. Nothing had even been resolved. In fact, things were worse. She never imagined that Damon would turn anyone, least of all Vicki into a vampire.

Dean, Sam, and Elena walked out of the manor. Each one more irritated than when they went in. Sam took a look at Elena's neck, just to be safe. There were fading marks, but that was all.

"You guys should go get lunch or something. I have to go see Jeremy and make sure he's okay." Elena felt scattered. It was as if she had stepped into another world where she had her personal problems to focus on. With Sam and Dean, it was straightforward. She focused on them.

"We'll drive you over." Sam offered, feeling bad for Elena.

"I'm just going to walk," Elena looked at the brothers, "Do you guys remember where my house was?"

"Yeah, I do." Dean told her.

"Just come there after, okay?" Elena smiled, relieved that she was able to have some space to think about what she was going to say to Jeremy. She wasn't going to leave Mystic Falls until she knew he was really okay.

OoOoO

"Well that didn't go at all how I expected it to." Sam said as he took a sip of his coffee.

Dean took a bite of his bacon burger as he looked around the grill. This was a spot Elena had spent a lot of time. Hell, some of the people here probably knew her pretty well. But, she wasn't a part of this town anymore.

"Dean." Sam waved his hand, catching his attention.

Dean shook his head, "Yeah. I thought letting the vampires live was a great plan."

"Well Damon was right. We aren't going to do anything, especially with Elena here." Sam countered.

"I'm more worried about Vicki. She's new, dangerous. And Damon isn't exactly the best mentor." Dean was in truth worried about Elena. She never really faltered in front of them. Any time they were apart, Dean experienced mild anxiety even though he didn't want to.

Sam nodded, "We just have to wait and see."

"We don't have that kind of time." Dean replied.

"Well there are no other leads on our side right now. We can stay a few more days at least, if that's what she needs."

Dean stared at his brother, "Sam, we still have our priorities you know."

"Yeah, but Elena is one of them now. And she needs us here." Sam said.

"This isn't going to end well. The vampires, her brother, it's a recipe for disaster. You know that." Dean was just waiting for it. If anything happened to her brother, Dean knew Elena would falter completely.

Sam nodded, "I know. This is bothering you isn't it?"

"What?" Dean asked.

"Her. The situation. I was surprised to hear about her parents." Sam tried to get Dean to open up, just a little bit. He knew the chances were slim. When it came to Elena, he was pretty shut down.

Dean set his burger down and looked at Sam, "I wish we could gank the vamps and be onto the next hunt. But, we can't."

Sam shook his head, "I'm getting a little tired of this macho man crap."

"Sam, in case you forgot we've got to deal with Abaddon and Crowley. Elena is going to be fine." He knew he was too forceful and that gave him away almost instantly.

"Right." Sam muttered and changed the topic of conversation.

OoOoO

Elena sat on the kitchen counter and took everything in. Everything was spotless, the fridge was well stocked. Fake plants and some art adorned the room. It was exactly the way Elena had left it. She had hoped after taking a walk alone she would feel more at ease, but it was pretty much the opposite.

"Jenna had to be out of town this weekend?" Elena said with disbelief. Jeremy had been home when she had arrived. Elena pushed everything negative out of her mind and focused on being with her brother.

Jeremy was eating a bowl of cereal, but he still looked up at Elena, "Yeah, we didn't know you were coming."

"Well I just wanted to see you." Elena smiled, trying not to sound too sad.

Jeremy shrugged, "Then why did you leave?"

Elena looked away, "It's hard to explain. But, I'm here now."

"For how long?" Jeremy countered.

Elena sighed, "Jeremy I don't want to argue. I want to spend time together."

Jeremy eyed his sister, "I thought you came back for the Halloween party."

Elena had completely forgotten the date. She smiled at her brother. If she had never left Mystic Falls she would have spent the last few days prepping for the party. Caroline would have been going crazy about what costume to wear. Elena would probably have been just as excited.

Jeremy's phone dinged and he began texting, a slight smile in his face. "Do you want to go together?" Elena asked hopefully.

Jeremy finished his texted and shrugged nonchalantly, "Yeah, sure."

Elena was surprised, "Guess I'll see you there."

Jeremy pursed his lips and nodded, "So Jenna didn't really know the reason you left. She says she can't remember. Is she saying that for my benefit or what?"

Elena thought back to how Ezekiel had allowed Jenna's memory to be removed. Elena shrugged, "I don't know. I left with some friends, Sam and Dean. They'll be here soon I think."

Jeremy set his phone down, "You aren't going to be honest with me on this are you?"

"I'm not being dishonest. Well, not trying to be," Elena paused, "Jeremy, I've been worried about you."

"Why?"

"I'm not here to look out for you." Elena admitted.

Jeremy shrugged, "It's okay I have people."

"Vicki?" Elena questioned.

Jeremy clenched his jaw, "Yes, Vicki."

"Jeremy you need to let her go. She needs help." Elena spoke seriously. She knew she was crossing boundaries, but she was doing what was best.

"Look, for months after mom and dad died, I felt like crap, like "nothing really even mattered" crap. Now all of a sudden,I get these moments and things started to feel just a little bit better, and Vicki was in every single of 'em. So you may not see it, but trust me. Keeping me away from her is not for the best."

Elena couldn't argue with that. Just then the doorbell rang. Jeremy and Elena both got up, eager to escape the kitchen and made their way to the front door. Jeremy opened the door.

Elena smiled when she saw Dean and Sam. Then Caroline and Bonnie stepped into view. Instead of a girly reuniting of screaming and laughing, they just stared at her. They were not happy at all.

"Elena Gilbert, you have a lot of explaining to do." Caroline snapped.

"Come on in." Elena stepped out of the way as everyone shuffled in. Jeremy had an amused grin on his face as he walked behind the group. Dean walked in last. Elena couldn't help herself she hugged him.

"Today sucks." She whispered.

Dean nodded, "Yeah, I know. But it's almost over." Elena pulled away and gave him the best grin that she could muster. They both walked in towards the living room where everyone was.

Caroline was still ranting, "And then you show up with two hot guys out of nowhere? Really Elena, what's going on? Are you pregnant?"

Dean started coughing while Sam and Elena laughed hysterically. Jeremy, Bonnie, and Caroline were far from laughing. They all looked pretty grim in fact.

"How'd you even know I was back?" Elena asked.

Jeremy raised his hand. Elena glared at him, "Thanks Jeremy. No, I'm not pregnant."

Bonnie cleared her throat, "Okay, are you back now? For good?"

Elena looked at her friend, thankful for her. By how everyone else was reacting, she had kept her visions a secret. "I'm back. I don't know for how long." Elena said honestly.

Then Caroline and Bonnie began to smile and squeal and crowd around Elena. Elena rolled her eyes but smiled and hugged her friends. "You have to come to the Halloween party tomorrow!" Caroline spoke excitedly.

"I already am." Elena laughed.

"Halloween party?" Dean interrupted.

Caroline eyed him and Sam, "Yeah, you guys can come."

Elena shook her head, "It's not their thing." She wasn't so sure it was hers anymore.

Sam shrugged, "It might be fun?"

Dean glanced at his brother disbelieving what he had just said, "You want to go?"

Sam nodded, "Sure."

Caroline grinned, "Great, now lets order pizza or something. I'm starving and we have a lot to talk about."

"Uh, Jeremy can you show Sam and Dean to the guest room," she turned to face them, "You guys can put your stuff in there." Jeremy stood up reluctantly and motioned for them to follow her. Once they were out of earshot Caroline towards Elena.

"I want the tall one."

Bonnie and Elena laughed.

OoOo

After three hours of nonstop talking, Caroline and Bonnie had left. Jeremy had gone for a walk, which Elena was hesitant about letting him do. And now Sam, Dean, and Elena were the last awake.

"Your friends are nice." Dean said sarcastically. He was exhausted after all the teenage girl chat. Elena had seemed distant the last few hours, but she threw a pillow at him.

"They're harmless." Elena laughed.

"How's Jeremy?" Sam asked.

Elena shrugged, "I don't know. He seemed okay today, but I want a little bit more time with him," She paused and stood up, "I'm going to get some rest. Thank you guys for being so great today."

Sam shook his head, "No need to thank us."

Elena gave a grateful smile and turned to go to sleep.

Dean looked at Sam, "How long do you think she wants to stay here?" It wasn't that Dean was eager to leave; he just needed to know. Maybe part of him was afraid Elena would stay back here, but he knew, well he hoped she wouldn't.

"At least through tomorrow. Maybe everything will be sorted out by then?" Sam suggested.

Dean only nodded.

OoOoO

Dean walked quietly down the hall towards Elena's room. He felt like a teenager sneaking around, but he wanted to check on her. He knew her day had been beyond difficult and it was the most exhausted he had seen her. Even after the incident with Abaddon and the demons she had not been so drained.

He tapped lightly on the door and then let himself in. Elena sat up slowly and wiped her eyes sleepily. "Dean?" Elena registered that he was in her room.

"I, I uh just wanted to make sure you were okay. After everything today." He couldn't explain it but he knew he cared about Elena, probably more than he should.

Elena couldn't help but smile, "You can sit." She motioned for Dean to come closer. He sat beside her.

Elena let out a breath, "Today was not what I had expected. I thought this was going to be a one day thing and now it isn't."

Dean nodded and waited for her to continue. Sometimes you just had to talk it out.

"I've been thinking about everything all day. Jeremy wasn't like this before mom and dad died. And I feel guilty for leaving, but I don't think I have a choice. And the situation you and Sam are in with all of this isn't fair because I know they're vampires. You guys kill vampires and I'm asking you not to even though they have hurt people." Elena suddenly felt more awake as the problems from earlier resurfaced.

Dean scoffed.

"What?"

"You've got so much going on and you're thinking about me and Sam." Dean smiled and shook his head. He couldn't believe it. Elena hadn't even thought of it that way.

Dean continued, "You had a life before we came into and pulled you out. And I didn't even know about your parents," Dean paused, "There's a lot I don't know. And you don't know a lot about Sam and I or what we've done."

Elena bit her lip, "I know."

"My parents are gone too." Dean shared. He looked at Elena and watched for her reaction. She just nodded slowly. No pity or sadness, only understanding.

"There's something about you Elena. I can't figure it out." Dean looked at her.

"What do you mean?"

"Your our savior. You tell me." Dean tried to make light of what he was trying to say.

"Dean. I'm figuring it out too." Elena responded seriously.

"You know what's funny? I know Sam has Ezekiel inside of him, but he's different. He's himself. That happened the second you came in the picture. Can you explain that?" Dean asked.

Elena shook her head. She thought back to what Castiel had said to her.

"Or the fact that I can't even be in the same room with you without wanting to be near you. You calm me down with one touch. Not to mention, you eased into this pretty damn easily." He was not trying to sound accusatory.

Elena felt her cheeks burn. She had the same feelings for Dean, perhaps more intense. But, she stayed quiet.

"If you knew the things I have done, you'd run in the other direction." Dean looked down.

Elena put her hand on his and moved closer to him. Her heart was beating faster than it should, but she couldn't help herself. She had to be honest with him now.

"I eased into it, because I already knew what I was getting into." Elena whispered.

"What?"

"The first day we met, you grabbed me and I touched you. When I did that, I saw everything you've ever experienced." Elena couldn't believe she was telling him, but what choice did she have? She didn't feel comfortable lying to him anymore.

Dean could only stare at her.

"I know about hunting because I saw you doing it. Your family, hell, purgatory, the trials and everything in between I know about already. That's how I knew I could trust you enough to come with you and Sam. I knew you wouldn't hurt me." Elena further explained.

For a moment Dean felt exposed. This girl knew everything. He thought of his life, even the most private moments, that she supposedly knew. But he knew Elena wouldn't lie about something like this.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Dean asked.

Elena responded, "With all that was going on, I was trying to figure it out myself. I'm telling you now because I can't lie anymore. And you deserve to know." Elena knew this was going to change things between them. Even Sam didn't know everything about Dean. And now this girl did?

"And after everything you've seen, you still decided to come here?" Dean couldn't believe it. She was as crazy as he was.

Elena nodded.

"This is a lot." He said quietly.

"I know. I'm sorry. There wasn't really a good time to tell you all of this." Elena felt enough guilt from keeping quiet this long.

"And what about you? You know why you're here or what you are?" Dean asked.

"I'm here because I'm supposed to be. I'm human," she paused, "I feel something happening to me. I'm changing." Elena told him.

"I know." Dean had seen it all happening before him. The looks Elena gave him alone told him she was changing. But, her presence alone affected everyone around her, especially his.

"Does it scare you?"

Dean stared at her, "Not one bit. We're all going to be here for you, not matter what."

"Don't be afraid of it." Elena could sense his trepidation.

Dean grimaced, "I am not afraid."

"Is this going to change things?" Elena asked warily.

"What? You knowing everything about me?" Dean questioned.

"Yes."

Dean shook his head, "No."

Elena suddenly felt exhausted. She scooted over to make room for Dean. He watched her pull the blanket back for him and then she looked up at him. Dean wanted to stay. He felt better being close to her and he wanted to be a comfort to her for the night.

Without further thinking, Dean got under the covers. Elena relaxed as he pulled her close. Usually nerves and second thoughts kept her in line. She brought her hand to his face and leant towards him. Her lips pressed against his, softly. While momentarily surprised, Dean tried to remember exactly how she tasted and felt. He pulled her closer and rested a hand on her lower back. Their tongues met and Dean let out a breath.

Elena pulled away too quickly for his likes but stayed close to him. She kept her hand on his chest. She could feel his heart beating. Dean looked down at her. He kept his arms around her.

"Why did you do that?" Dean whispered.

"I wanted to." Elena spoke softly.

Dean leant down and kissed her once more. He felt the recent problems leave him once again. He couldn't explain or accurately describe Elena or what she did to him, but he wanted more of it.

Dean moved his hand beneath her top, to the warmth of her skin. His hand traced up and down her back. Dean wanted her more than before. He felt an intense urge to claim her.

Elena pulled away from him slowly. She wanted him. And while she knew this certainly changed things, she was not sure she minded.

"Goodnight Dean." Elena said sleepily.

"Night Elena."

"Hey, Dean?" Elena tilted her head up to him.

"Hmm?"

"Don't leave in the morning."

**Next chapter will be up soon! Thank you guys :)**


End file.
